Deployed Troops Donate to Obama 6-1 Over McCain
By webreporter on Aug 15, 2008 in Political Commentary
Deployed Troops Donate to Obama 6-1 Over McCain
U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat than to Republican , a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.
The results also are striking because they favored Obama, who never has served in the military. McCain meanwhile, is a decorated war veteran who spent nearly five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Arizona senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and had a 22-year career as a naval aviator.
| Recipient | Total | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Obama, Barack | $60,642 | 134 |
| Paul, Ron | $45,512 | 99 |
| McCain, John | $10,665 | 26 |
| Huckabee, Mike | $7,950 | 10 |
| Thompson, Fred | $6,350 | 7 |
| Romney, Mitt | $5,550 | 10 |
| Clinton, Hillary | $3,240 | 6 |
Obama has opposed the war in Iraq and says he would withdraw combat troops within 16 months. McCain has been a steadfast supporter of the war, saying he would withdraw the troops only when conditions on the ground warrant it.
Honestly, after years of hearing that if you don't support the Bush military policy, you don't support the troops, you have to wonder what the neo-cons will do now. Today, a study by the Center for Responsive Politics reported that members of the military are giving more donations to Senator Obama than Senator McCain, and when you just examine those troops who are deployed, Obama attracts more donations by a 6 to 1 factor.
Troops, of course, aren't much different than most Americans, who overwhelmingly oppose the Bush military policy that John McCain would continue (the latest AP-Ipsos poll had 62 percent disapproving of the Bush policy). It's just that troops have a lot more personal experience on this particular issue. We know that those who served believe Iraq has overstreched the military, and for years that those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are solidly against the current policy.
Now, members of the military are speaking with their checkbooks, and reiterating just how strongly they believe we need to begin to redeploy from Iraq, and go on the offense against al Qaeda, which is making huge gains in Afghanistan.
And, yes, things are getting much worse in Afghanistan. The New York Times reports today, from Saydebad:
"Not far from here, just off the highway that was once the showpiece of the United States reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, three American soldiers and their Afghan interpreter were ambushed and killed seven weeks ago... The soldiers -- two of them members of the National Guard from New York -- died as their vehicles were hit by mines and rocket-propelled grenades. At least one was dragged off and chopped to pieces, according to Afghan and Western officials. The body was so badly mutilated that at first the military announced that it had found the remains of two men, not one, in a nearby field."
That's just one report of many coming from Afghanistan, which has been allowed to devolve into chaos.
Troops know it. News from the field makes its way through chow halls, and our men and women read it during the rare moments they get to check the internet. They know that the current course our military is on is not sustainable, and they're looking for a dramatic change. They've felt it for a long time, whether the media wants to acknowledge that or not.
I don't think this has as much to do with Obama and McCain as it does with continuing the current Bush course, or changing it. And our troops, who don't have a whole lot of money to give, are voting right now with their wallets.
"Obama will work tirelessly to uphold this nation's sacred trust with its veterans, to ensure they are not forgotten after they return home and he will provide our troops with the leadership they deserve, as well as the support they and their families need," Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said.
The report tracked donations of $200 or more. It found that 859 members of the military donated a total of $335,536 to Obama. McCain received $280,513 from 558 military donors.
Among soldiers serving overseas at the time of their donations, 134 gave a total of $60,642 to Obama while 26 gave a total of $10,665 to McCain. That was less than the amount received by Republican Ron Paul, who collected $45,512 from 99 soldiers serving abroad, the report said.
Naturally, each campaign has attempted to put its usual spin on the figures released. Whatever their interpretation may be, the number don’t lie so it is up to you to decide what they mean!
AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Looking again at those troop donations for Obama - The takeaway, per Jay Tea: "Obama has outraised McCain from US troops stationed overseas, by overwhelming ratios in both number and amount. But the actual numbers are so damned small as to be statistically irrelevant." ...
Spinning The Troop Donations - Evidence, then, that most troops want out? Maybe! Except … the data doesn’t specify whether the donations came mostly from Iraq or were spread out around the globe, and interestingly, the one branch where McCain leads Obama in ...
Obama Leads McCain in Donations From Overseas Troops - According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than ...
